Juel Jarani1, Andi Spahi1, Klotilda Vrenjo1, Keida Ushtelenca1
1Sports University of Tirana, Faculty of Movement Sciences, Tirana, Albania
Comparison of Body Weight between Albanian Children and European Peers in Primary Schools
Sport Mont 2022, 20(1), 39-43 | DOI: 10.26773/smj.220207
Abstract
One of the biggest health challenges today is controlling body weight gain which leads to overweight and obesity. In order to anticipate and monitor the possible problem of overweight/ obesity, this study was undertaken in Albanian children to identify the current status of body weight in primary schools and to compare the children of the same age in Europe for the weight status. A total of 1888 elementary school children (939 boys and 949 girls) aged 6-9 years old) were enrolled in this study. Body mass were measured using a Health O Meter 402 KL professional physician beam scale. The results from this scientific work show that boys in Albania have a higher body weight (p≤0.05) compared to girls (6-9 years). Comparative data from this study on body weight between Albanian and European children show that Albanian boys and girls in elementary school (ages 6-9) are ranked among the lower body weight children compared to European counterparts. This data would be a great help in creating a clear picture of the trends of body weight growth over the years in Albanian children. These data are very important for the consequences on public health given that overweight children have a tendency to become overweight adults.
Keywords
children, body weight, overweight, obesity, health, school
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